Cotton chopper and cultivator



(No Model. 3 sheets-sheen 1.

J. 000KB. COTTON CHOPPER AND GULTIVATOR.

Patented Nov. 1'7, 1896.

w 1 a m WITNESSES: (2%

(No Model.)' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3'.

J. 0 00KB.

GOTTON CHOPPER AND CULTIVATOR.

No. 571,648. Patented Nov. 17, 1896.

- mmmmumm .w 1 i nlmmlmmmmumumum1m1uii:

m/ vavnm (757m: Chaise.

ATTORNEYS.

m: Nomus was cc. Pnovoumo, msnmmuw. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EETc-E,

JOIIX COCKE, OF GREENSBOROUGH, Al'iAl'L XMA.

COTTON CHOPPER AND CULTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,648, dated November 17, 1896. Application filed June 19, 1896. Serial No. 596,176. No modem T 0 ttZZ whom it may cancer/a:

Be itknown that 1, JOHN COCKE, of Greene borough, in the county of Hale and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cotton Choppers and Cultivators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved cotton-chopper designed to afford a simple and practical means for cutting away portion of the cotton-plants in a row, so as to leave them in hills 5 and it consists in the peculiar construction and. arrangement of the framework and chopping devices for accomplishing the above work, and which may also with slight changes be converted into a culti vator.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cottonchoppcr. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same; Fig. 3, a rear elevation thereof. Figs. 4, 5, and (5 are details of the chopping-hoe and shank, and Fig. 7 is a view of a modification.

In the drawings, A represents the tongue, bolted on top of a rectangular franie composed of a front bar A, sidebars A A and an axle B, on the ends of which latter are journaled the running -wheels B 3. The rectangular frame is firmly braced and connected to the tongue by diagonal iron braces a a, and to the front bar A of the rectangular frame are connected strong downwardly-projecting hook-bolts A to which are attached the draft-chains K K, that draw the chopperframe. This latter frame is of triangular shape, with its long side 0 parallel to and immediately beneath the axle, and its side bars O C converge rearwardly toward the middle, at which point there is located on astandard a small running-wheel F and above it rearwardly-projectinghandles Gr. Parallelbracebars (3 are arranged at right angles to the front bar C and connect the latter to the converging side bars O O.

The front bar 0 of the chopper-frame has a triple connection, one connection being by chains K to hook-bolts A for draft, another connection by short chains L to the axle, (see Fig. 3,) and the third connection by chains J to the forward ends of levers If.

The levers ll are connected in the rear by a crossbar II and are fulcruincd between pairs of vertical steel standards I, rising from the axle and curved slightly to the rear at their upper ends.

The object of the levers ll is to raise the front end of the chopper-tram e, which bears the chopping devices, so as to permit the device to be transported or to turn at the edges of the field without allowing the chopping devices to operate. These chopping devices are all attached to the front bar (3 of the dragging frame, and consist of shanks E, with sharp edged triangular hoes or cuttingsweeps c bolted to their lower ends in herb zontal position, between which cntting-hoes are pairs of disks (Z d, carried by shanks D D, connected to the frame-bar above. These disks cl d have sharp edges and descend a little deeper into the ground than the hoes and serve to make a vertical cut at each side of each hoe, so that the hoe maycut out aclean section of the plants in the row, leaving uncutthe plants that pass between the two disks (1 (Z of each pair.

In operating this device it is drawn across the field crosswise the rows, which latter are thus cut away in places to form hills.

hen it is desired to stop the cutting action of the hoes, a rope r, hanging from the cross-bar 1-1" of the levers H H, is pulled down, and the levers H are tilted upon the fulcrumstandards I, raising the chains J and with them lifting the front bar 0 and the chopping devices, so that the latter do nottouch the ground. In such position the frame 0 G trails upon the single running-wheel F in the rear. The frame is steadied and guided by means of the handles G.

To convert the chopper into a cultivator, the frame C C is removed and small cultivatonframes, preferably three in number, are substituted, the chopping-hoes of the chopper being transferred to the cultivator to actas cultivator-teeth, all as shown in Fig. 7.

The framework of my machine is preferably made of angle-iron, connected by suitable bolts, but it may, if desired, be made of wood, or partly of wood and partly of iron, as may be desired. 7

Having thus described my invention, what -I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. A dragging cotton-chopper frame made in triangular form with cotton-chopping hoes or sweeps only along its front edge, and in a row at right angles to the line of draft, an axle with supporting-Wheels arranged along the front edge and above the cotton-chopper frame, chains for adjustably connecting the cotton-chopper frame to the running-gear and adjusting its front edge vertically, and a supporting-wheel and pair of handles arranged at the rear apex of said triangular frame substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A dragging cotton-chopper frame made in triangular form With cotton-chopping hoes or sweeps along its front edge, an axle with supporting-Wheels arranged along the front edge and above the cotton-ohopper frame and loosely connected to the same, standards mounted upon the axle, one or more levers fulcrumed upon said standards and projecting to the rear and having, at their front ends, a flexible connection with the front edge of the chopper-frame substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

3. A dragging cotton-chopper frame made in triangular form with its long side in front and at right angles to the draft-line, and provided with cotton-chopping devices on said long front side exclusively, and having its two sides converging to a middle apex in the rear, a supporting-wheel arranged beneath the middle and rear apex, and handles arranged above the same, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4:. The combination of the tongue A with braces a a, the rectangular frame A A A with downwardly-projecting hooks A the Wheeled axle with up wardly-proj eating standards I, the triangular dragging chopper-frame O C with chopping devices along its front edge, and a running-Wheel and handles in the rear, draft-chains K and L, lifting-chains J and rearwardlyprojecting levers H ful crumed on the standards I and connected at their front ends to the lifting-chains J substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN COOKE'. lVitnesses:

P. A. TUTWILER, J. B. OAssIDAY. 

